i82 THE COACHING ERA 



the art, the young bloods of the day went to the pro- 

 fessional coachmen for tuition, and tried their prentice 

 hands on the public coaches. The public, not unreason- 

 ably, resented this, and passengers would obje6l if the 

 reins were given to anyone but the rightful driver. 



The professional coachmen took their work of tuition 

 seriously, they were stridl masters and merciless critics, 

 as may be gathered from an article which appeared 

 in the New Sporting Magazine, by a pupil of Old Bill 

 Williams, driver of the Oxford Defiance: 



"Never by any chance — confound him!— would he 

 allow an error or an ungraceful a61: to pass unnoticed, 

 and I have often got off his box so annoyed at his merci- 

 less reproofs and ledlures that I vowed no power on 

 earth should make me touch another rein for him. The 

 first morning, in particular, that I was with him, I shall 

 never forget. In spite of all my remonstrances, nothing 

 would satisfy him, but I must take the reins from the 

 door of the very office, at the Belle Sauvage, he himself 

 getting up behind, in order as he said not 'to fluster 

 the young 'un.' By great good luck we got pretty well 

 into the street, and without anything worth telling, for 

 some way past Temple Bar; but, as my evil star would 

 have it, the narrow part of the Strand was uncommonly 

 full, and having rather an awkward team, and being, 

 moreover, in a particular stew, we had more than one 

 squeak at sundry posts, drays, etc. Still not one word 

 was uttered by the Artist, though by this time he had 

 scrambled in front, till after a devil of a mistake in 

 turning into the Haymarket, he touched my arm very 

 civilly, with a 'pull up if you please, sir, by that empty 

 coal cart.' I did so; at least as well as I could — and 



